Advisory Panels Say Military Benefits Unsustainable

[unhappycamper]

Advisory Panels Say Military Benefits Unsustainable
Tom Philpott | August 05, 2010

A consensus is building among current and former military leaders and defense industry executives that rising military personnel costs threaten the viability of the all-volunteer force.

In July, two separate advisory groups reached the same general conclusions regarding what needs to be done to sustain the force. In the nearer term, they say, one step that must be taken is to make military retirees pay more out of pocket for their health care benefit.

"Unless retirees contribute more for their TRICARE insurance, medical costs will not be brought under control and the national defense they served, and for which they fought and sacrificed, will be harmed," says the final report of the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel.

The panel is co-chaired by former Defense Secretary William J. Perry from the Clinton administration and Stephen J. Hadley who was national security advisor through President George W. Bush's second term.

Longer term, and for the future force, panelists say, work must begin on designing new retirement, compensation and promotion systems to replace inefficient and rigid systems adopted after World War II. The situation is so critical that the Hadley-Perry panel asks Congress to establish a new National Commission on Military Personnel to lead the reform effort.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. This too would make an argument in favor of single payer?

[hobbit709]

2. WTF!

How much do the benefits cost? How much for a new carrier?

[Solly Mack]

3. Oh...so it's a matter of national security.

Damn

Stephen J. Hadley <~ war criminal

[WinkyDink]

4. AGAIN, the "medical costs are destroying the U.S." charade. I'm looking at YOU, Defense Budget.

Another "Commission" to "Reform".

IOW: AGAIN, Obama is seeking to obtain more money from the masses. But hey: it will just be the "recommendation" from a "Bi-partisan Commission", after all.

[FreakinDJ]

5. Health Benefits vs: The Ultimate Sacrafice

What they mean is risking your life for your country is not worth Health Benefits.

Ain't it grand how all these congress critters with government paid health benefits for the rest of their life can make these judgments

[tsuki]

6. This has been coming for a long time. The military retirees around

here think that they are a sacred cow. When they were tea partying around here against ObamaCare and single payer, I tried to tell them it would be their turn next. They laughed.

[sarge43]

9. Would you care to name those military retirees and cite their posts?

The only lifers I know of who routinely post here are myself and Mr Coffee. I'm pretty he hasn't said anything negative about ObamaCare and single payer and I certainly haven't. If BOSSHOG were still posting, I'm sure he wouldn't either.

Yes I know, call outs are against the rules.

[jberryhill]

15. I believe the poster's reference to "around here" was geographical

However, our commitment to the men and women who put their lives at risk should be inviolate.

If we can't do that, then we should just call it quits.

[tsuki]

17. It was geographical. Due to the large number of Naval and Air Force

stations and bases, we have a very large retirement group. Florida has no state income tax.

I remember in 2000 when one of Bush's advisers said the main problem with the military budget was the number of retirees "feeding at the trough". I know who said it, but I cannot find the quote. I thought then, here it comes.

Then the war. Everything went away. The military was great again. But wars wind down. Military retirees have got to get past the idea that they will never do it to us. They will, if they can.

[sarge43]

18. Then poster should be specific.

Yup, there are dog in the manger lifers and they're assholes. There's also lifers who are neither. Damn. We're individuals; who'da thought.

Just so we're clear here. While we're on active duty, no civilian insurance company will give us the time of day. By retirement time we minimum 38 to 65 years old. Tell me what insurance company is going cover us or if it does at what cost, especially after it takes a look at our service medical records? Such as my husband's -- Agent Orange and near total lose of hearing thanks to 20 years working a flight line. BTW, hubby's pension is a big 18K a year from which he pays social security and income tax. Yeah, if he could get it, he easily could afford top'o line health insurance.

Yes, I am well aware millions and millions of Americans face the same problem which why this lifer supports single payer for each and every citizen. A healthy country is a productive country, a thriving country, a country worth defending.

[jberryhill]

19. Which is probably what annoys the poster about the "I got mine, FU" attitude

Now, many "I got miners" of all stripes, and not just in the health care debate, did indeed earn whatever the "got" thing is.

I'm willing to guess that what our friend finds discomfiting is not so much the "I got mine" part, but the "FU" part.

[tsuki]

16. Come on down to NW FL, specifically between Pensacola and

Panama City if you want to meet these retirees. Attend any function, Tea Party Patriots, Tax Payers Assoc, Mosquito Control, Republican Party meeting, you'll find them. I will not list their names, addresses or phone numbers.

I did not say that anyone here posted, but rather that we, those of us that tried to speak with the retirees in this area, met a stone wall. We tried to explain, after the unions, the federal employees, the state employess, they would be next. Divide and conquer, works great.

Oh, and I will name one, Colonel Bud Day. We were at a meeting with a guest speaker for Kerry when he and his cohorts showed up to defame Kerry and shouted the guest speaker down.

[Ganja Ninja]

7. What a load of crap.

"Unless retirees contribute more ..."

Always taking from the little guy. Never any consideration of cutting back on the advanced weaponry. Never any objective examination of the enormous sums we pay for weapons. It's always the little guy that's at fault. Giving them less is the only answer.

[sarge43]

8. How many billions of dollars are unaccounted for in that money

pit known as the Iraq war? As memory serves but doesn't reenlist, minimum 8B. That would probably cover Tricare for awhile.

[Festivito]

10. What kind of co-pay does Congress pay? /nt

[Jamastiene]

12. I doubt very seriously it is $9 per 30 day supply per medicine.

It went up back in July of this year from $8 per co-pay for each 30 day supply for meds to $9 per 30 day supply. When Clinton left office, it was around $2 per 30 day supply per med, which was more reasonable. Now, it's getting ridiculous. I, personally, do not think they should pay at all. They already paid when they served. That's just my $0.02 though.

[Jamastiene]

11. Pardon my language, but...

They served this country. Dammit, they deserve health benefits and a college education from it. Whether we agree on what wars our government tells them to enter or not, they serve this country and most of them do it honorably. They DO make sacrifices and deserve at the very minimum the health benefits and a good start into a college education based on their skills and training in the military.

Enough is enough with the "socialism" this and "socialism" that from right wingers. They need to back the fuck off the veterans in this country.

[dwilso40641]

13. If we can afford to give

mercenaries no bid contracts with no accountability we can live up to our commitments to our veterans. If we stopped paying exorbitant prices to contractors to do what the military has done in the past and should be doing now, we could give the military personal a living wage and still have money for their health care.

[Dragonfli]

14. "...defense INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES.." - says it all, war is for profit

Cutting benefits to the grunts just as with factory workers and salivating over not paying their pensions is a favored way for those that make millions to make even more off of their serfs.

Maybe they could save money by using military personnel to cook the food at 1/4 the price of "contractors", or using honorable marines to guard diplomats rather than shady Mercs that make 10 ten times the cash with no need for honor.

Just kidding, that would cut into profit not increase it, my bad.